VATICAN CITY. A man present in the Paul VI hall, where the Pope presided over the usual Wednesday general audience, started screaming as Francis concluded his catechesis, and Bergoglio, after having concluded without interrupting the prayer he was reading, invited the others. faithful present to pray for this “our brother who suffers: if he cried out, he suffers”.
The man, between 40 and 50 years old, stood up, took off his mask, and started screaming, apparently in English. Some witnesses report having heard him utter words such as “Holy Father”, “Catholics, apostolic and Roman”. The man was approached by a gendarme and a Swiss guard who, without using force, accompanied him to the exit.
«We heard, a few minutes ago, a person shouting, shouting, that he had some problem, I don’t know if physical, psychic, spiritual: but he is a brother of ours in problem. I would like to finish by praying for him, our brother who suffers, poor man: if he cried out it is because he is suffering, he has some need. We must not be deaf to the need of this brother. Let us pray together to Our Lady for him », Francis concluded praying a Hail Mary with the faithful present.
In the course of the catechesis, the Pope explained what the «communion of saints» is, starting from a personal memory: «I remember that as a child I immediately replied: ‘Ah, the saints take communion’. It’s something we … we don’t understand what we’re saying. What is the communion of saints? It is not that the Saints receive communion, it is not this: it is something else ». At times, Bergoglio warned, “even Christianity can fall into forms of devotion that seem to reflect a more pagan than Christian mentality”. It should not be forgotten, in fact, that “even when we fully entrust ourselves to the intercession of a saint, or even more so of the Virgin Mary, our trust has value only in relation to Christ. As if the road to this saint or Our Lady does not end there: no. It goes there, but in relation to Christ. Christ is the bond that unites us to him and between us that has a specific name: this bond that unites us all, between us and us with Christ, is the “communion of saints”. It is not the saints who work miracles, no! “This saint is so miraculous …”: no, stop: the saints do not work miracles, but only the grace of God acting through them. Miracles have been done by God, by the grace of God acting through a holy person, a righteous person. This must be clear. There are people who say: “I don’t believe in God, but I believe in this saint”. No, this is wrong. The saint is an intercessor, one who prays for us and we pray to him, and he prays for us and the Lord gives us grace: the Lord acts through the Saint ». We, said Jorge Mario Bergoglio, «have friends in heaven. We all need friends, we all need meaningful relationships that help us face life ». But “it is not a magical thing, it is not a superstition: devotion to the saints is talking to a brother, a sister who is before God, who has lived a righteous, holy life, a life of model and is now before God and I speak with this brother, with this sister and I ask him for his intercession for the needs that I have ». The communion of saints, again, “does not concern only the brothers and sisters who are next to me in this historical moment, or who live in this historical moment, but it also concerns those who have concluded the journey, the earthly pilgrimage and have crossed the threshold of death. They too are in communion with us. Let us think, dear brothers and sisters: in Christ no one can ever truly separate us from those we love because the bond is an existential bond, strong, which is in our very nature, only the way we are together with them changes, but nothing and nobody can break this bond. “Father – Francis continued, imagining the objections of an imaginary interlocutor – but let’s think of those who have denied the faith, the apostates, the persecutors of the Church, those who have denied baptism: are these also at home?” these, all, the blasphemers, all, we are brothers. This is the communion of saints “.
And it is while, at the conclusion of the catechesis, that the Pope pronounced a prayer which, he confided, has been praying every day for 40 years, that the man began to scream. «I like to conclude this catechesis with a prayer to Saint Joseph to which I am particularly attached and which I have recited every day for more than 40 years. It is a prayer that I found in a prayer book of the Sisters of Jesus and Mary, from the 1700s, the end of the 1700s. It is very beautiful, but more than a prayer it is a challenge to this friend, to this father, to this guardian of ours who is Saint Joseph. It would be nice for you to learn this prayer and be able to repeat it. I will read it: “Glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph, whose power knows how to make impossible things possible, come to my aid in these moments of anguish and difficulty. Take situations so serious and difficult that I entrust to you under your protection, so that they have a happy solution. My beloved Father, all my trust is placed in you. Let it not be said that he invoked you in vain, and since you can do everything with Jesus and Mary, show me that your goodness is as great as your power ”». At the conclusion of the prayer, the Pope commented on the screams that had been heard in the background: “Do not be deaf to the need of this brother: let us pray to Our Lady for this brother of ours”.
At the conclusion of the catechesis, the Pope made some appeals related to current events: «For a year now, we have been witnessing with pain the violence that is making Myanmar bloody. I make my own the appeal of the Burmese Bishops so that the International Community works towards reconciliation between the parties concerned. We cannot turn our gaze elsewhere, in the face of the sufferings of so many brothers and sisters. Let us ask God, in prayer, for consolation for that tormented population; to him we entrust the efforts of peace ».
«The day after tomorrow, February 4, the Second International Day of Human Brotherhood will be celebrated. It is a source of satisfaction that the nations of the whole world unite in this celebration, aimed at promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue, as also hoped for in the Document on human brotherhood for world peace and common coexistence, signed on 4 February 2019 in Abu Dhabi by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, Ahmad Al-Tayyib and myself. Brotherhood means reaching out to others, respecting them and listening to them with an open heart. I hope that concrete steps will be taken, together with believers of other religions and people of good will, to affirm that today is the time for fraternity, avoiding fueling clashes, divisions and closures. Let us pray and commit ourselves every day so that we can all live in peace as brothers and sisters.
«The Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games are about to open in Beijing on 4 February and 4 March respectively. I cordially address my greetings to all the participants; I wish the organizers the best success and the athletes to give their best. Sport, with its universal language, can build bridges of friendship and solidarity between people and peoples of every culture and religion. I therefore appreciated that to the historic Olympic motto Citius, Altius, Fortius – Faster, higher, stronger – the International Olympic Committee has added the word Communiter, i.e. Together, so that the Olympic Games can make a more fraternal world grow.
With a particular thought I embrace the whole Paralympic world. We will win the most important medal together if the example of athletes with disabilities will help everyone to overcome prejudices and fears and to make our communities more welcoming and inclusive. This is the real gold medal! In addition, I follow the personal stories of female refugee athletes with attention and emotion.
Their testimonies help encourage civil societies to open up with ever greater confidence to all, leaving no one behind. I wish the great Olympic and Paralympic family to live a unique experience of human brotherhood and peace. Blessed are the peacemakers! ».
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